Piltz



Feb. 21, 1956 E. PlLTZ 2,735,282

THREAD GUIDE FOR HAND-OPERATED KNITTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 51, 1953 THREAD GUIDE FOR HAND-OPERATED KNITTING MACHINES Erich Piltz, Markdorf, Baden, Germany, assignor to Willy Werner Lenkeit, Markdorf, Germany This invention relates to hand operated knitting machines that it has particular relation to new and improved thread guides for hand-knitting machines.

It has been known in the art to use in knitting machines devices which are adapted to feed the thread to the latch needles and keep the latches open until a new thread is inserted and, if new needles are supposed to be introduced into the knitting process, automatically open the latches of the needles.

It has been likewise known in the art to use for the insertion of the thread oscillating thread guides which, during movement of the knitting machine lock on the needle bed, impart to the thread from one side another position relative to the middle of the lock, than during movement from the other side. In this manner, the thread is safely inserted in the edge or rim needles.

However, devices of the above mentioned type are too complicated for hand-operated knitting machines, which are used in many cases by untrained persons. Moreover, they are relatively expensive.

The main object of the present invention is to provide for hand-operated knitting machines thread guides provided with latch opener, which can be easily and inexpensively manufactured, said thread guides being adapted to be moved to-and-fro together with the knitting machine lock transversely to the longitudinal direction of the needles.

Another object of this invention is to provide a thread guide of the before mentioned type consisting of a body which is pointed at both ends and is provided with an elongated slot which receives the thread and extends in the direction of motion of the knitting machine lock, the thread to be inserted passing through said slot. This body is connected by holding means to the knitting machine lock in such manner that its pointed ends engage the needle hooks and thereby open the needle latches. The thread guide is preferably angular in longitudinal direction so that its deflection edge represents a connection between the pointed ends.

The pointed ends preferably consist of two triangular points and are located on a slightly bent part having the form of a segment of a circle, of said body, said part being arranged parallel with the needle bed and limiting one longitudinal side of the slot. The angular position of the thread guide is preferably ascending in the direction of the plane of the needle.

The triangular points are preferably arranged in about the same plane as the thread discharge opening formed by said slot. They are preferably tapered from below, as far as this is feasible in view of the thickness of the material, so that needles which are sometimes somewhat lifted during knitting, do not strike hard, but are rather pressed downward.

The other side of the slot is preferably limited by a web or flange, which is interrupted by an opening in such manner that two flaps are formed, the outer edges of which slide past the opening latches. The free ends of the flaps are preferably curved toward the knitting ma- States Patent Cir ice

chine lock and slightly wavy. This arrangement prevents latches, which are not entirely opened, from being caught between the flaps.

The opening between the two flaps is preferably bridged over by a wire, one end of which is fastened to one of the flaps, while its other, free end is located above the other flap. This open end allows threading of an open thread. Said wire is bent in its middle portion toward the beforementioned slot, so that the thread which passes from above through the slot smoothly glides past the opening which perforates the two flaps.

In the appended drawings, which show, by way of example and without limitation, one embodiment of the invention- Figure 1 is the cross-sectional view of a hand-operated knitting machine provided with a thread-guide according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a front view on an enlarged scale of the thread guide shown in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a top view of the thread guide shown in Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view along line IV-IV of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view along line V--V of Figure 3.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be understood that the hand knitting machine according to the present invention is an improvement of the hand knitting machine disclosed and described in Patent No. 2,670,618, issued on March 2, 1954, to R. Von Skene et al. The machine comprises a supporting frame 1 carrying a needle bed or board 2 above which a cam box or lock 3 is arranged which is guided by bars 4. The horizontal needles 5 are provided with a foot 5b adapted to engage a groove 3a of the lock. Furthermore the needles 5 are provided with latches 5a at their opposite ends. The needles 5 pass through slots of a needle comb or reed 6. A guide bar 9 projects horizontally from the lock 3 and carries retaining means 9a. Holding means 8 for a thread guide generally denoted by 7 are arranged adjustably on the guide bar 9. So far the structure of the machine is identical with that of the machine described in Patent No. 2,670,618 mentioned hereinabove.

As shown in Figs. 2-5, the thread guide 7 has a shuttlelike structure including a first elongated part 10 and a second elongated part 11 forming a longitudinal slot 13 with each other extending over the mid portion of the thread guide 7. The first part 10 is slightly bent at the ends thereof and arranged with its main portion 10]) parallel to the plane of the needles 5. An arm-like extension 10a extends at right angles to the main portion 10b in a plane being parallel to the plane of the main portion 10b (Fig. 4) and is connected thereto by a connecting part 100. The shuttle-like structure of the thread guide 7 has triangular pointed ends 12 provided at the outer ends of the line 12a connecting the first and second parts 10, 11. The pointed ends 12 are arranged at a level which is slightly lower than that of the main portion 10b of the first part 10 and the adjoining rim portion 13a of the slot 13 (Fig. 2), the outer portions of the line 12a connecting the first and second parts 10, 11 bending downwards. The second part 11 is arranged so as to ascend from the line 12a toward the outer rim portion 11a thereof and includes wing-shaped parts 16 arranged at the side of the slot 13 opposite to the extension 10a and the rim portion 13a, the wing-shaped parts 16 forming one piece, respectively, with pointed flaps 15 separated from each other by a gap 14 communicating with the slot 13. As will be seen from Figs. 2 and 3, the parts 16 and the flaps 15 connected thereto form a wave-like structure, the parts 16 forming the troughs of the waves and the flaps 15 extending in upward direction therefrom.

A wire 17 bridges the gap 14 and is provided with a downward bend 18 opposite to the gap 14. One end 19 of the wire 17 is secured, for instance soldered to one of the flaps 15, while the free end 20 of the wire 17 is located above the other flap 15.

The operation of this device is as follows:

The triangular pointed ends 12 and the flaps 15 open the latches a of the needles 5 advanced by the lock, the flaps preventing the opened needle latches 5a from closing.

The newly supplied thread (not shown) is guided from above through the gap 14 between the flaps 15 so as to lie against the upper side of the bend 18. Then the thread is carried along the upper side of the wire 17 as far as the free end thereof and consecutively along the lower side of the wire 17 and one of the flaps 15 into the slot 13 of the thread guide 7, and is finally fed through the gap 14 to the open needles 5. The discharge opening formed by the slot 13 for the'thread engaging the needles 5 is almost in the plane of the pointed ends 12 engaging the needle hooks. The thread coming from above through the slot 13 is passed smoothly by the gap 14 because the wire 17 is bent toward the slot 13 at the middle portion 18 being arranged opposite the gap 14.

The slot 13 has the effect that if the lock 3 moves so as to release the knitting procedure from the right end of the thread guide 7 as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, so that the needles are gradually advanced and retracted as more fully disclosed in Patent No. 2,670,618 mentioned hereinabove, the thread slides over the right-most advanced needle in the slot 13 from the left end thereof to the right end. When the lock 3 is moved further by an amount corresponding to the thickness of some needles, the needle 5 is somewhat withdrawn from its extreme advanced position whereby the chance of safely putting the new thread on the open latch is very considerably increased. Now the thread remains in the right end portion of the slot 13 until the lock 3, coming now from the opposite direction, that is from the left, reaches the left rim needle (not shown), and when the latter is passed over, the thread moves in an analogous manner from one end of the slot 13 to the other.

The thread guide and latch opener according to the present invention has several advantages. Its construction, as Well as its manufacture, is extremely simple. Moreover, this simple stamped or punched member takes complete care in hand-knitting machines of the function of an oscillating thread guide, the construction of which for knitting machines is more complicated, and the thread guide of the present invention takes care also of the function of additional devices for opening the latches, e. g. brushes.

Finally, the extremely low position of the thread discharge opening results in safe introduction of the thread into the lower hooks of the needles. This serves simultaneously for preventing the thread from winding around the latch-opener points at the reversal points. This difficulty can occur in constructions, in which there is a dilference of level of a few millimeters between the thread discharge opening and the points.

It will be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific designs, arrangements and other details specifically described above and illustrated in the drawings, and can be carried out with various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A hand knitting machine, comprising, in combination a plurality of needles each having a hook and a latch, a lock adapted to carry out rectilinear movements in opposite directions, said lock advancing and retracting said needles, a thread guide connected to said lock so as to be moved in a direction parallel to the direction of the rectilinear movements of said lock, said thread guide having a thread guiding slot extending in the direction of movement of said lock, and pointed ends forming part of said thread guide and being arranged substantially in the prolongation of the longitudinal axis of said slot so as to engage said hooks of said needles and thereby to open said latches thereof.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, said thread guide including a first part and a second part arranged so as to form an angle with each other along a line in the longitudinal direction of said thread guide, said line connecting said pointed ends with each other.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, said first part of said thread guide being arranged parallel to the plane of said needles and forming one longitudinal side of said slot.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, said second part of said thread guide being arranged so as to ascend from a line forming the extension of a longitudinal rim portion of said slot toward the outer rim portion of said second part in direction of the plane of said needles.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4, said second part of said thread guide having flaps arranged opposite to said first part at the other side of said slot and separated from each other by a gap, the outer rim portions of said flaps sliding along the opening latches of said needles.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 5, said second part, and said flaps forming part thereof having a wave-like structure, said flaps extending upward.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 6, said pointed ends being triangular and arranged at a lower level than said gap separating said flaps.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 7, and a wire bridging said gap, said wire having one end secured to one of said fiaps, the other end of said wire being a free end arranged on the upper side of the other said flaps.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 8, said wire having a mid portion bent toward said slot of said thread guide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 12,933 Aiken May 22, 1855 101,878 House Apr. 12, 1870 350,795 Wilcomb Oct. 12, 1886 1,425,106 Laveen Aug. 8, 1922 2,670,618 Von Skene et al. Mar. 2, 1954 

